The magnitude of his 164th game as Liverpool manager did not show in Brendan Rodgers’ reaction to a precious victory over Aston Villa.
A handshake for Tim Sherwood, a pat on the back for Gary McAllister, a thumbs-up to the directors’ box and he was gone. Reprieved and relieved by the much-missed class of Daniel Sturridge .
Rodgers has waited a damaging length of time for Sturridge to regain fitness and the clinical touch his team has desperately lacked this year. He was repaid when it mattered most, the England international scoring twice to seal a first win in five league matches after James Milner had driven Liverpool into a swift lead.
Of course it could never run smoothly for a manager in Rodgers’s predicament. He endured unnecessarily nervous moments after poor defending allowed Rudy Gestede to score twice and give Villa hope their naive and careless play scarcely deserved. But Liverpool, sharper in all facets than of late and showing the obvious benefit of a proven marksman in their ranks, held firm to release some of the pressure on Rodgers.
“It is not rocket science,” said the Liverpool manager. “The last time we scored three goals was when Daniel started against Tottenham [in February].
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